Benefits of Yoga for Kids
Yoga is for everyone. It meets each student right where he or she is regardless of age, ability or level of health.
Children love yoga. They love the movement and creative expression associated with the poses (called yoga asanas). They appreciate the benefits and they cherish the opportunity to "rest" at the end of each class.
The asanas are modeled after appealing animals and elements - lions, snakes, rivers and trees. This naturally makes the practice engaging for children when presented in a dynamic way. A children’s' yoga class typically features stories, games, animal sounds and laughter. This all adds up to the most important element - fun!
Their enjoyment of the classes would be reason enough to teach yoga to children - but the benefits go far beyond. Yoga can give children the ability to:
• Develop strength, flexibility and coordination - of
both body and mind
• Improve focus
• Raise self-awareness
• Build self-esteem
• Release stress
• Relax completely
• Breathe well
• Cultivate healthy habits
• Generate a sense of inner peace and contentment they can share with
the world
• Great success for children with attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD),
hyperactivity, autism, and Down's syndrome
These benefits are available to all who engage in the practice of yoga. Older youth and teen’s right up through adults appreciate the chance to know themselves better on all levels and to cultivate a sense of mastery within.
What do Experts Say about Kids Yoga?
The health-giving qualities of yoga have been pronounced by the ancients for
thousands of years. However, our Western society likes proof and, now more
than ever, science and medicine are providing empirical data confirming what
Eastern cultures have intuitively known for ages.
Many people from various professions are working to quantify just what the practice of yoga can do for people - children and adults. The first Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) was held in January 2007 to begin to accumulate and disseminate some of these research findings. Indications are that children who practice yoga may not only be better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves; they may also choose better foods to eat and get more physical activity than children who do not.
Body image issues resulting in conditions from anorexia to obesity plague our children today. Studies shared at SYTAR suggest yoga may help. The movement, focus on breath awareness and relaxation inherent in a yoga practice can help children develop better body awareness and improved self-esteem - both powerful components of a healthy body image.
